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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — a break
  8. cue — a hint
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a dance
  13. land — a country
  14. last — final
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — to come down
  18. last — finally
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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