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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: fall · ground · hide · rush · present · sharp · last · temple

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — final
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fall — the season
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — there
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — finally
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. present — the time now
  22. fall — to drop
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rush — hurry

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