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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. mark — a grade
  14. land — a country
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. current — happening now
  21. land — ground
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. land — to come down

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