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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. drill — a practice
  4. court — of a king
  5. last — final
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. last — to go on
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — happy
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pound — a weight
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — for sport

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