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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — final
  6. cell — in biology
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cell — a phone
  10. race — humankind
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. last — to go on
  13. drill — a practice
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. last — finally
  20. degree — an amount
  21. race — a contest
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. degree — from a university

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