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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: last · cell · temple · key · ground · mine · suit · perch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. last — final
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — the fish
  6. suit — to fit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — to go on
  10. key — in music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cell — in biology
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. last — finally
  21. key — for a lock
  22. suit — in cards
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — for a bird

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