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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — farmland
  16. net — for catching
  17. field — for sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. hide — to keep secret

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