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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: mark · temple · kid · staff · date · ball · land · present

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. present — a gift
  7. land — a country
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — child
  10. present — there
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — employees
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. present — the time now
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ball — a dance
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ball — a great time
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — to come down
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mark — a grade

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