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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 124 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kick — in football
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — a tin
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bore — to tire
  21. drill — a practice
  22. can — to be able to
  23. drill — army training
  24. bore — to drill

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