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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. march — music
  8. file — a document
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — a hint
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. land — a country
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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