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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — the arms race
  5. season — of the year
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rule — a law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rule — government
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. season — in sport
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wound — an injury

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