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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fall — the season
  6. squash — to crush
  7. key — for a lock
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. key — the most important part
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to point toward
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rash — hasty
  22. key — in music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rush — hurry

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