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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: bay · temple · ground · net · ruler · bass · tear · game

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. net — for catching
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a match
  7. ground — a position
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — wild animals
  14. net — after costs
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — for measuring

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