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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bear — the animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a music group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. band — a ring
  21. roll — a list
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bear — to put up with

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