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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: net · cue · field · temple · roll · march · lean · bat

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lean — thin
  6. field — farmland
  7. net — in sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — after costs
  11. cue — a signal
  12. field — a subject
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. march — the month
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bat — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. roll — a cake

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