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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. last — final
  6. craft — a skill
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — boats
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. saw — the tool
  18. last — finally
  19. suit — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. content — the amount

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