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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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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: toast · hide · temple · deal · stand · fan · last · cell

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — to go on
  6. stand — to bear
  7. last — finally
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. toast — bread
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. deal — to handle
  24. last — final

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