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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: last · rash · bulb · net · key · temple · rest · can

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — in music
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — final
  14. net — for catching
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rash — a series
  17. last — finally
  18. net — in sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — a tin
  24. temple — a place of worship

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