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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 120 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: temple · ball · last · season · foot · plane · snap · rash

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. season — of the year
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a dance
  21. snap — to click
  22. rash — a series
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. foot — a measure

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