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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: temple · saw · ball · rash · chair · squash · date · roll

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a cake
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. roll — a list
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — side of the head

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