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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. firm — decided
  3. charge — electricity
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. charge — a price
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. drill — army training
  9. last — finally
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. firm — steady
  14. charge — in control
  15. firm — a company
  16. row — a line
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — a practice
  21. last — to go on
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. snap — to click
  24. temple — side of the head

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