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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. file — a line of people
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — in football
  9. lean — thin
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a tool
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a document
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. last — finally
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. last — final

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