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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: firm · pass · date · game · bowl · temple · mark · ground

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — steady
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — crushed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. firm — a company
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ground — a position
  11. mark — a grade
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. firm — decided
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. game — a match

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