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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — a match
  5. net — for catching
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. roll — a list
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — in sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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