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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. root — of a plant
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. root — of a word
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pit — a hole
  17. spring — the season
  18. root — the cause
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mug — a face

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