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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — to go on
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — final
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rash — a series
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kick — in football
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pass — a permit
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — ministers

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