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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: mine · temple · sharp · drill · mate · craft · racket · coach

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mate — a partner
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — the tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — to breed
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — for digging
  18. craft — a skill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. drill — army training

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