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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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468
Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — the fish
  3. staff — a stick
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. court — for sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wake — a trail
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. toast — bread
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — low music
  24. court — of law

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