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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 · club · pitch · rush · temple · net · rest · bat

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — in sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. net — for catching
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. net — after costs
  21. rush — hurry
  22. club — a group
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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