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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. club — for golf
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — happy
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lie — to recline
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. club — a group
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mark — a trace

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