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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · ball · prune · temple · kick · object · face · pitch

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. face — to point toward
  10. kick — in football
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ball — a great time
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. object — an aim
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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