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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · cell · row · temple · object · cap

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cell — a phone
  3. object — a thing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. object — to protest
  8. row — a line
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a lid
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a hat
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. staff — employees
  17. object — an aim
  18. temple — side of the head

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