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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: bear · drill · squash · temple · arm · net · current · file

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a document
  3. current — electric
  4. drill — a practice
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — after costs
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. squash — the sport
  10. current — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. file — a line of people
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — happening now

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