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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.

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: mate · land · ruler · drill · rash · temple · club · scale

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — a friend
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rash — a series
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — for golf
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — in music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — to come down
  15. club — a group
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. drill — army training
  19. scale — size or range
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. drill — the tool

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