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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. file — a line of people
  4. toast — bread
  5. face — to point toward
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. key — for a lock
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — clever
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. key — in music
  18. craft — a skill
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. key — the most important part
  21. face — part of the head
  22. file — a tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. craft — boats

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