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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: temple · fine · chair · pitch · spell · roll · tube · date

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spell — magic
  9. fine — high quality
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — a cake
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. roll — a list
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tube — a container

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