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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: temple · nail · plane · toast · cold · roll · suit · season

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. roll — a cake
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — in sport
  9. toast — bread
  10. roll — a list
  11. suit — clothes
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. season — of the year
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cold — not warm
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. suit — to fit

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