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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cue — a hint
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cue — a signal
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — for pool
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chest — a box
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. march — the month
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. lie — an untruth

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