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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ball — a dance
  3. last — final
  4. rule — government
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — to go on
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. capital — a city
  10. rule — a law
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. capital — money
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a great time
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — clever
  22. roll — a cake
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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