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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cold — not warm
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — to sink
  15. squash — to crush
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

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