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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cell — a phone
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — an amount
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — temperature
  18. roll — a cake
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cell — in biology
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — to go on

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