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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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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: bulb · deal · last · temple · net · ground · mug · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ground — a position
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mug — a cup
  7. last — final
  8. mug — a face
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — to go on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fall — to drop
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — the earth
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — finally

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