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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: temple · spell · ball · dip · hide · march · mine · sharp

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spell — letters
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. dip — to sink
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — with an edge

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