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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 120 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: drill · arm · lie · temple · mine · game · wave · ruler

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. game — wild animals
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. drill — army training
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ruler — a monarch

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