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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lean — to bend
  7. shower — rain
  8. last — final
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — for catching
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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