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

Word bank: temple · chest · safe · bowl · sharp · wake · snap · roll

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. roll — a cake
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. chest — a box
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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