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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: club · degree · cabinet · kick · temple · net · field · roll

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — a group
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kick — in football
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. net — in sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. degree — temperature
  14. field — a subject
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. field — for sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. degree — an amount
  22. club — for dancing
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for golf

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