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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kid — child
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — in a road
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cell — in biology
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. squash — to crush

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