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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spring — a coil
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wake — a trail
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — the cause
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — a leader
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. spring — the season
  17. cue — for pool
  18. root — of a word
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. root — of a plant
  21. craft — boats
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — of water

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