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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a ring
  5. can — a tin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. band — a music group
  10. row — a line
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — in music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. dip — to sink
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. row — to paddle

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