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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — a series
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — a match
  15. face — part of the head
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — finally
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. last — final
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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