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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.

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

Word bank: game · dip · fall · arm · temple · pitcher

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — the season
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. game — a kind of play

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