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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — a country
  6. foot — a measure
  7. file — a tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — to come down
  16. last — final
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fall — the season
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. file — a document

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