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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a music group
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. band — a ring
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a dance
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — a match
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — a break
  20. game — wild animals
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ball — a great time

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