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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. content — happy
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hand — help
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cue — a hint
  19. content — the amount
  20. cue — a signal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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