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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. deal — to handle
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — a box
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spell — letters
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. club — a group
  18. spell — a short time
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rock — music
  22. spell — magic
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — a video

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