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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — a container
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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