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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.

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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.

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: game · pop · season · deal · content · temple · rest · drill

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — music
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pop — soda
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. drill — a practice
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. game — a match
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — the tool
  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