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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — finally
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. track — a path
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lie — to recline
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ground — a position
  15. track — to keep track
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. last — final
  19. ground — the earth
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. track — a song
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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