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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a match
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — a container
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bear — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — music
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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