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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — wild animals
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — to sit on

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