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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. march — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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