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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — the sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — a weight
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. net — in sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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