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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. club — a group
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. date — the fruit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. firm — steady
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. firm — a company
  13. club — for dancing
  14. firm — decided
  15. file — a tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. club — for golf
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — a container
  22. wax — to grow
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

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