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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: last · mark · temple · charge · bear · game · clip · bat

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a match
  9. charge — in control
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. last — final
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. clip — a video
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — the animal
  21. last — finally
  22. charge — electricity
  23. last — to go on
  24. charge — a price

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