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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: rest · temple · foot · bat · fine · spell · nail · season

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. spell — letters
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rest — a break
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fine — all right
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. season — of the year
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. season — in sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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