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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fine — all right
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — high quality
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — the animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bound — certain
  21. foot — a measure
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. date — the fruit

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