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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: saw · spring · temple · scale · pitcher · coach · ball · rash

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — in music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ball — a dance
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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