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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: mine · game · sharp · temple · hand · nail · spell · bore

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spell — magic
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. spell — letters
  15. bore — to tire
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hand — help
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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