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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — certain
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. march — the month
  19. last — to go on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — final
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bound — tied together
  24. march — the month

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