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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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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: root · rule · content · temple · bank · fork · foot · game

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — the cause
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — a law
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rule — government
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — for money
  21. content — happy
  22. fork — in a road
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bank — of a river

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