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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. club — a group
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — of the year
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. last — to go on
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. toast — bread
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — finally
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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