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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pop — music
  6. plane — a tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pop — to visit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. game — wild animals
  15. land — ground
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pop — soda
  19. land — a country
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fan — a supporter

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