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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — soda
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. staff — a stick
  8. charge — a price
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. staff — employees
  11. pop — music
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. drill — army training
  14. pop — to visit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. charge — in control
  17. drill — the tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. charge — electricity
  21. drill — a practice
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. toast — bread

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