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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bore — to tire
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. root — of a word
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. game — a match
  14. root — the cause
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. content — the amount
  21. bore — to drill
  22. root — of a plant
  23. content — happy
  24. bore — gave birth

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