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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — soda
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pop — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. drill — army training
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — side of the head

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