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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: mate · temple · net · row · stand · foot · deal · rest

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — in sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. net — for catching
  11. row — to paddle
  12. net — after costs
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rest — a break
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rest — what's left
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  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