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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rash — a series
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — finally
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — to paddle
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lean — thin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lean — to bend
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. last — final
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — to go on
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — hasty
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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