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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 120 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: net · club · temple · pound · lean · field · sharp · pit

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — thin
  3. club — a group
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. sharp — clever
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — farmland
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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