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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — a weight
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. plane — in geometry

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