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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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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: arm · drill · mate · bay · roll · temple · craft · cold

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. craft — a skill
  11. drill — army training
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. craft — boats
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mate — to breed
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. temple — side of the head

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