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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. season — in sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rest — a break
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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