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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.

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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. capital — money
  17. last — final
  18. rush — hurry

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