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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. band — a ring
  2. last — final
  3. season — in sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. last — to go on
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — size or range
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — for catching
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. drill — army training
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — finally
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — of the year
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  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