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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — music
  4. last — to go on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mate — a friend
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. foot — a measure
  15. mate — to breed
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — final

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