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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — a tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — to tease
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. sharp — clever
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. land — to come down
  16. root — of a word
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kid — child
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pitch — completely
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — ground

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