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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cold — not warm
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — a song
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. row — a line
  13. track — a path
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — a practice
  16. row — to paddle
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — to eat
  20. drill — army training
  21. chip — for betting
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — an illness

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