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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: temple · trunk · game · roll · last · lean · sharp · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. game — wild animals
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. game — a match
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to bend
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. last — finally
  13. roll — a cake
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. roll — a list
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. last — to go on
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — thin

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