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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cue — for pool
  4. game — a match
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. cue — a hint
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. current — of water
  16. rule — government
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. current — electric
  21. tube — the underground
  22. current — happening now
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — a container

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