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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: date · temple · fine · net · wake · rash · snap · chest

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — all right
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wake — a trail
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — a box
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. net — after costs
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. net — in sport

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