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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. kick — in football
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ground — a position
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — employees
  15. shower — rain
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. shower — to wash
  18. sharp — clever
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — a list
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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