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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 · chip · spell · stem · nail · jam · last · game

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spell — magic
  5. chip — to eat
  6. last — finally
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. last — final
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — a match
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chip — for betting
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. temple — side of the head

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