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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — finally
  3. suit — clothes
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — the season
  9. march — music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. press — to push
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to tire
  16. last — to go on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. press — a publisher
  24. nail — on a finger

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