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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — there
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. club — for golf
  10. bank — of a river
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — a gift
  13. last — to go on
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — a group
  17. last — final
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bank — for money
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. present — the time now
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — finally

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