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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kick — in football
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. march — music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hand — help
  24. march — the month

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