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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — to go on
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — finally
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. last — final
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — the time now
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — there
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — a gift
  23. plane — a tool
  24. swing — music

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