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

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. last — final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. degree — from a university
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. last — finally
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. last — to go on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — a trail

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