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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tube — a container
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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