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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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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: ground · racket · club · cold · toast · temple · bound · net

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. club — a group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — for catching
  5. cold — not warm
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cold — an illness
  8. club — for golf
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — the earth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — obliged
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bound — tied together
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — in sport
  20. club — for dancing
  21. toast — bread
  22. ground — a position
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. net — after costs

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