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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. dip — to sink
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — a short time
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mate — a friend
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mate — a partner
  19. clip — to cut
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — rain
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. clip — a video

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