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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: dip · lie · mate · game · temple · cold · foot · rest

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — what's left
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — not warm
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cold — an illness
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mate — a friend
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rest — a break

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