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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: temple · face · cue · key · drill · pit · game · bowl

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — the most important part
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — a match
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. key — in music
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — for pool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cue — a hint

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