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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: saw · spring · object · last · game · sharp · kick · temple

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. object — an aim
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spring — a coil
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — final
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — to go on
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — the season
  20. game — a match
  21. spring — of water
  22. object — to protest
  23. last — finally
  24. kick — in football

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