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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 · object · wake · ground · face · leaves · temple · bat

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. net — in sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. net — after costs
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — to point toward
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — a trail
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. object — a thing
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — a position
  24. leaves — to go away

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