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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — wild animals
  5. object — a thing
  6. march — the month
  7. object — to protest
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — help
  19. march — music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. staff — a stick
  24. object — an aim

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