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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.

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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. net — after costs
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — a group
  18. net — in sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. swing — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for golf

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