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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 120 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 · face · net · hide · current · last · temple · hand

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. net — after costs
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ball — a great time
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — in cards
  20. current — electric
  21. hand — help
  22. last — final
  23. current — happening now
  24. net — for catching

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