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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: ball · temple · spring · rash · game · roll · can · fine

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spring — of water
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — all right
  6. spring — the season
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. roll — a list
  12. can — a tin
  13. game — a match
  14. ball — a dance
  15. can — a tin
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — a series
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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