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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. last — finally
  4. land — to come down
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — an amount
  8. land — ground
  9. last — final
  10. spell — letters
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — a country
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a music group
  15. game — wild animals
  16. last — to go on
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. band — a ring
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. temple — side of the head

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