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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · last · season · temple · chest · firm · rash · charge

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — finally
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — final
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — to go on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — in sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. wake — a trail
  19. firm — a company
  20. charge — in control
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — electricity
  24. season — to add flavour

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