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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. last — finally
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — the season
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. file — a document
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — final
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a tool

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