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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.

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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 · prune · temple · cap · mate · nail · present · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cap — of ice
  5. present — there
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — a match
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — final
  13. cap — a lid
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — a friend
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — finally
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. present — the time now
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cap — a hat

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