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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. last — final
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pop — music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pop — soda
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. spell — magic
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. last — to go on
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spell — letters
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. kick — in football

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