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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: last · deal · band · kick · field · sharp · cap · temple

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. field — farmland
  3. cap — a lid
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — to go on
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — final
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — clever
  19. deal — to handle
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kick — a thrill

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