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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — for catching
  12. rule — government
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rule — a law
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. temple — side of the head

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