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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — to cut
  3. firm — decided
  4. mate — to breed
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a partner
  9. firm — a company
  10. stand — to bear
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — for paper
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — finally
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. last — final
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bank — of a river

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