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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. current — of water
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — for dancing
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fine — high quality
  18. current — happening now
  19. fine — all right
  20. current — electric
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. club — a group

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