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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: plane · drill · pound · temple · pop · net · rule · bay

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — after costs
  8. drill — army training
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — the tool
  11. plane — a tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rule — a law
  15. net — in sport
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pop — to visit
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. rule — government
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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