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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: temple · snap · fork · shower · roll · ball · last · leaves

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. ball — a great time
  5. roll — a list
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. last — to go on
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — rain
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fork — in a road
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. snap — to click
  20. roll — a cake
  21. shower — to wash
  22. last — finally
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side 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