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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 120 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 · dip · fall · arm · temple · pitcher · chair · track

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — to keep track
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a song
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a path
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. game — a kind of play

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