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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — to go on
  4. current — of water
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — to come down
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — electric
  18. last — final
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — dry grass

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