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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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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: mate · nail · temple · bowl · last · toast · wound · lie

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. last — final
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — bread
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mate — a friend
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — to go on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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