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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. row — a line
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spell — magic
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a hat
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. squash — the sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — to keep track

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