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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. last — to go on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. last — final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a document
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. file — a tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. file — a line of people
  24. patient — a sick person

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