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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — the sport
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. roll — a list
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. degree — temperature
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tear — to rip
  17. roll — a cake
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. staff — a stick
  21. key — the most important part
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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