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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — for a lock
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. club — for golf
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — rain
  13. club — a group
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. club — for dancing
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cold — an illness
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cold — not warm

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