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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — to keep track
  3. land — a country
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pop — to visit
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pop — soda
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. land — ground
  22. track — a path
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — a trace

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