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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · pitcher · track · safe · present · drill · bay · temple

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — a match
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. present — the time now
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. present — there
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — wild animals
  18. track — a path
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — army training

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