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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: mine · last · rush · lash · snap · firm · cap · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. last — final
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a hat
  9. firm — decided
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rush — hurry
  13. firm — a company
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. snap — to click
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. firm — steady
  24. cap — of ice

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