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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · net · temple · wax · chest · stock · hide · pitcher

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. net — after costs
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. game — a match
  10. net — for catching
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — a box
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wax — in the ear

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