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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cue — a hint
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. staff — employees
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — a city
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. capital — money

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