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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: craft · bore · game · squash · pound · roll · ground · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ground — a position
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — a match
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pound — a weight
  12. roll — a cake
  13. craft — boats
  14. roll — a list
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. craft — a skill
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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