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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. last — finally
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — to go on
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — final
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. staff — a stick
  10. tube — the underground
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. present — the time now
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. present — a gift
  20. board — a committee
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tube — a container
  23. present — there
  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