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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: kid · bowl · temple · mouse · cabinet · season · face · racket

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — to confront
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. face — part of the head

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