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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.

Make a worksheet

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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — magic
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. track — a song
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — a path
  17. kick — in football
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tube — a container
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cold — not warm
  24. temple — side of the head

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