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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.

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: spell · season · temple · foot · ball · key · row · chest

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spell — letters
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — for a lock
  9. season — in sport
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. row — a line
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ball — a great time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ball — a dance
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. row — to paddle

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