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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: temple · snap · wake · hide · net · patient · game · toast

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. game — wild animals
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. snap — to click
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. toast — bread
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a match
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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