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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 · stick · bat · wave · spring · cap · ground · game

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spring — of water
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — the earth
  18. game — a match
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cap — a hat
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  24. temple — a place of worship

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