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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — finally
  16. rest — a break
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rest — what's left
  19. net — for catching
  20. last — to go on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. firm — decided

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