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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. key — for a lock
  3. roll — a list
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. key — in music
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — a cake
  13. current — of water
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — to go on
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. current — happening now
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. last — final
  20. lie — to recline
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. last — finally
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. current — electric

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