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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — a grade
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chest — a box
  18. last — to go on
  19. mark — a trace
  20. staff — a stick
  21. last — finally
  22. kid — child
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — to move gently

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