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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: cold · cap · fine · game · temple · roll · present · rock

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. fine — high quality
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. roll — a list
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rock — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cap — a lid
  16. present — there
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cap — of ice
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cap — a hat
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. rock — a stone

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