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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cold — an illness
  6. clip — to cut
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. track — to keep track
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — a path
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cue — for pool
  22. clip — a video
  23. cold — not warm
  24. track — a song

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