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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — wild animals
  6. suit — to fit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wax — to grow
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. game — a match
  19. snap — to click
  20. toast — bread
  21. content — happy
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. content — the amount
  24. temple — side of the head

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