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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stand — to bear
  4. hand — help
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. firm — decided
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. row — a line
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. firm — steady
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. firm — a company
  19. last — finally
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. last — final
  24. nail — on a finger

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