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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. firm — steady
  4. bark — to shout
  5. firm — a company
  6. last — final
  7. lean — thin
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. vault — a safe
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cue — for pool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — decided
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spell — a short time
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cue — a hint
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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