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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
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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: tube · rash · ball · spell · temple · hand · season · sharp

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — help
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a great time
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — magic
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rash — hasty
  11. sharp — clever
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rash — a series
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. hand — part of the body

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