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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. net — after costs
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — in control
  16. chest — a box
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. staff — a stick
  21. charge — a price
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. last — final
  24. staff — employees

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