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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · temple · chest · hide · last · roll · tube · game

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chest — of your body
  15. roll — a cake
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. roll — a list
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tube — a container
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cue — a signal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — to go on

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