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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · game · temple · net · fall · club

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a match
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. net — for catching
  6. lean — thin
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — after costs
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. club — a group

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