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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. wake — a trail
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. roll — a cake
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — final
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hide — animal skin

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