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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. roll — a list
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — to push
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. toast — bread
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. key — the most important part
  18. press — a publisher
  19. key — for a lock
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. key — in music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. toast — the most admired

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