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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: hand · temple · sharp · field · wake · mate · rest · spell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — in cards
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — a break
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — help
  11. field — a subject
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wake — a trail
  14. field — farmland
  15. spell — magic
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spell — letters
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — a place of worship

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