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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — hurry
  7. object — a thing
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — an injury
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. temple — a place of worship

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