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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: ball · nail · present · net · roll · bark · temple · hide

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. present — the time now
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — in sport
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ball — a great time
  9. net — after costs
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — to shout
  23. nail — on a finger
  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