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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.

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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. board — a committee
  11. net — after costs
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitch — completely

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