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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: rest · temple · net · last · pitcher · scale · season · nail

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rest — a break
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. net — for catching
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. last — final
  24. rest — what's left

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