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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: game · sharp · mine · mark · temple · face · tube · rock

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rock — music
  5. mark — a trace
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. game — a match
  11. rock — a stone
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — the underground
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. tube — a container

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