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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: trunk · sharp · temple · rush · fan · snap · last · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. ball — a great time
  17. snap — to click
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rush — to hurry

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