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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: game · temple · wound · ground · patient · rule · lie · drill

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — a match
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rule — a law
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lie — to recline
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ground — crushed
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ground — the earth

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