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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — to cut
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chest — a box
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — a video
  14. date — the fruit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ball — a dance
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — on a finger

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