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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: cell · roll · mark · row · last · temple · game · foot

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a match
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mark — a grade
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. game — wild animals
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cell — in biology
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cell — a phone
  20. roll — a cake
  21. last — finally
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. roll — a list

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