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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: temple · pitch · fork · nail · mate · club · prune · bound

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — to breed
  5. club — for golf
  6. bound — tied together
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — for dancing
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. club — a group
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bound — certain

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