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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cold — an illness
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. row — a line
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cue — for pool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cue — a signal

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