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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rest — what's left
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. mine — for digging
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bass — low music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. temple — side of the head

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