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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: sharp · jam · branch · pitcher · net · pit · temple · calf

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — after costs
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pit — in a race
  13. net — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — for catching
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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