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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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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: kick · temple · bowl · drill · trunk · rest · land · last

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — finally
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. rest — a break
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. land — ground
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rest — what's left
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. drill — a practice
  21. last — to go on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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