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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — of the year
  9. current — of water
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. last — finally
  12. bound — obliged
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — final
  19. bound — tied together
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — to go on
  22. current — electric
  23. bound — certain
  24. hide — animal skin

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