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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: stick · dip · temple · drill · game · hand · tear · board

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — help
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. tear — to rip
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. board — a committee
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hand — part of the body

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