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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — help
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. row — a line
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pound — a weight
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — in cards
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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