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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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468
Word bank
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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. last — final
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. last — finally
  13. rash — a series
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. last — to go on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — side of the head

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