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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: staff · temple · pitch · mouse · sharp · net · swing · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — completely
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. net — after costs
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — for catching
  24. staff — a stick

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