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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. current — of water
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. current — happening now
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — final
  9. content — happy
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mate — to breed
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fine — all right
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fine — high quality
  17. current — electric
  18. last — finally
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — to go on
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. root — of a word
  23. tube — a container
  24. content — the amount

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