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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pass — a permit
  5. craft — boats
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. last — final
  8. tube — a container
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tube — the underground
  16. snap — to click
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. last — to go on
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pop — to visit
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pop — soda
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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