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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: temple · ball · present · pound · nail · jam · fan · net

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — the time now
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. net — in sport
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. present — there
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ball — a dance
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fan — a supporter

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