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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. scale — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chest — a box
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rash — hasty

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