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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hand — in cards
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. foot — a measure
  16. board — to get on
  17. last — final
  18. hand — help
  19. board — a committee
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — finally
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. temple — a place of worship

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