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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. scale — size or range
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. drill — army training
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — clever
  17. suit — in cards
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. root — the cause
  20. scale — in music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  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