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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: rest · game · face · ground · bank · temple · stick · ball

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — crushed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bank — of a river
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rest — a break
  18. ground — a position
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rest — what's left

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