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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — government
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rule — a law
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — to go on
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. safe — a strongbox

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