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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: ruler · toast · drill · game · fork · mate · temple · mark

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. toast — bread
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mark — a trace
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — to breed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fork — in a road
  23. game — a match
  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