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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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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 · rest · pound · date · temple · mark · snap · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. snap — to click
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cap — a lid
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rest — a break
  24. date — on the calendar

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