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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rest — what's left
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. swing — music
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. deal — to handle
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. season — of the year
  22. roll — a cake
  23. swing — in golf
  24. roll — a list

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