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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · temple · nail · lie · can · cue · mine · content

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fall — the season
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cue — a signal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — for digging

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