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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. toast — bread
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. suit — to fit
  14. file — a document
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cell — a phone
  17. file — a line of people
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. rest — a break
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — the Cold War

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