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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pit — in a race
  4. last — final
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. last — to go on
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. kick — in football

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