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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cell — in biology
  24. temple — a place of worship

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