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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 · temple · spell · patient · bowl · face · key · tube

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. key — for a lock
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tube — a container
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. key — in music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tube — the underground
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spell — a short time
  23. game — a match
  24. face — part of the head

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