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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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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: kick · temple · bark · squash · file · net · bowl · lie

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kick — in football
  8. file — a line of people
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — in sport
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — to shout

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