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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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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: sharp · wake · court · chest · cue · temple · lie · spell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lie — to recline
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spell — magic
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cue — a hint
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chest — a box
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. sharp — exactly

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