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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bank — of a river
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bank — for money
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — a coil
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — of water
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — the season
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. temple — a place of worship

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