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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: temple · rest · net · squash · bat · fine · land · lash

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. net — for catching
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — ground
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rest — a break
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — a country
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — side of the head

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