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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. last — final
  3. land — a country
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. land — ground
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — to come down
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. last — finally
  17. ball — a dance
  18. game — a match
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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