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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: leaves · sharp · temple · kick · lie · mine · saw · game

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. game — a match
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kick — in football
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — for digging
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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