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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · pass · last · pitcher · current · drill · lie · temple

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — army training
  3. current — electric
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — final
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — letters
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — happening now
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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