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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: game · foot · row · temple · perch · pit · net · bowl

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. net — after costs
  10. row — a line
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. row — to paddle
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. perch — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — for catching
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. game — wild animals

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