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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rule — government
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rule — a law
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rest — a break
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. calf — a young animal

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