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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 · roll · content · pop · mate · bear · temple · charge

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — in control
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. content — happy
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — a partner
  8. roll — a list
  9. charge — a price
  10. game — a match
  11. charge — electricity
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pop — soda
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — music
  21. content — the amount
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bear — to put up with

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