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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a line of people
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. file — a tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. foot — a measure
  12. file — a document
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. band — a ring
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. content — happy
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — the amount
  23. squash — to crush
  24. band — a music group

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