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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mark — a grade
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. last — final
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a tool
  16. row — a line
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a document
  19. last — finally
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hand — help
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mark — a trace

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