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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.

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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: land · pop · pitcher · cabinet · last · foot · dip · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. foot — a measure
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pop — soda
  24. land — a country

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