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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — final
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. last — to go on
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. drill — army training
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. firm — a company
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. firm — steady
  21. drill — a practice
  22. firm — decided
  23. file — a line of people
  24. can — to be able to

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