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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: game · fall · pop · net · temple · pit · plane · track

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. game — a match
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — after costs
  10. pop — to visit
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — wild animals
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pop — music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a song
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. track — a path

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