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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spell — magic
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a document
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — a country
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. drill — a practice
  17. land — to come down
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. land — ground
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — letters

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