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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: last · temple · staff · game · ball · tear · nail · fan

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — to go on
  11. staff — employees
  12. last — finally
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. last — final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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