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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: squash · net · court · bank · temple · tube · file · racket

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. file — a document
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a tool
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bank — for money
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — after costs
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. net — in sport

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