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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. row — a line
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. snap — to click
  5. kick — in football
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. hand — in cards
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — of a word
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — help
  18. last — final
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. root — the cause

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