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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — wild animals
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. degree — from a university
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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