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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. capital — money
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. board — to get on
  12. last — final
  13. board — a committee
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a city
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. last — to go on
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. content — happy

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