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

Word bank: cabinet · toast · temple · march · racket · last · kick · content

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — bread
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — happy
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. march — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — the amount
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. march — the month

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