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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — for golf
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — a position
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — a trail
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. rash — a series
  17. mug — to rob
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a face
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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