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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. drill — a practice
  5. scale — in music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cue — a signal
  10. drill — army training
  11. mate — a partner
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chair — a leader
  14. drill — the tool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. dip — to sink
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chair — to sit on

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