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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · temple · bowl · wind · swing · cell

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cell — in biology
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wind — moving air
  8. swing — music
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — a phone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wind — moving air

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