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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — to go on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. last — final
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — soda
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. pop — music
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — there
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. fall — the season
  24. temple — a place of worship

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