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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: bore · ball · hand · can · temple · scale · row · net

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — help
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. can — to be able to
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. can — a tin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — for catching
  13. ball — a dance
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bore — to tire
  18. row — a line
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. can — a tin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — in cards

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