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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
468
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: last · bay · trunk · temple · face · game · tube · squash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. face — part of the head
  7. squash — to crush
  8. game — a match
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. last — finally
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tube — a container
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. trunk — of a car

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