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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ball — a great time
  5. key — in music
  6. rash — a series
  7. ball — a dance
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — a box
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pit — a hole
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. land — to come down
  24. chest — of your body

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