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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: fall · foot · spell · mate · hand · last · temple · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. last — to go on
  7. fall — the season
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — a friend
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mate — to breed
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. last — finally
  17. hand — in cards
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — final
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — a short time
  24. deal — a big deal

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