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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — to eat
  6. track — a song
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cell — in biology
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a music group
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. dip — to dunk

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