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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · wind · game · cabinet · season · rule · temple · pitcher

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rule — a law
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wind — moving air
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rule — government
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. file — a document
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a kind of play

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