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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · temple · game · mate · fine · row · last · squash

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. last — finally
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mate — a friend
  7. game — a match
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. last — final
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. last — to go on
  17. fine — all right
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. squash — to crush
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. squash — the sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. row — to paddle

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