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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — in a road
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. club — for golf
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com