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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. capital — money
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. current — of water
  6. season — of the year
  7. mug — a face
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. last — finally
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — final
  16. season — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — a song
  19. current — happening now
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. current — electric
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — what's left

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