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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. last — final
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fall — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. last — finally
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fall — to drop
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — to go on

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