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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ruler · temple · cue · hand · season · roll · mine · perch

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — in sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — in cards
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cue — a signal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — of the year
  19. roll — a list
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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