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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. last — to go on
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mark — a grade
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cold — an illness
  14. capital — a city
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cold — not warm
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. capital — money

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