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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · bulb · temple · leaves · net · cold · saw · face

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. face — to point toward
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — in sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — for light
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. net — after costs
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — in a race
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. leaves — lets stay

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