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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stock — shares
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. march — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. march — the month
  17. last — finally
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — the month
  24. lie — to recline

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