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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 · hand · game · deal · bass · temple · spring · snap

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — to handle
  3. game — a match
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. net — after costs
  8. spring — of water
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. snap — to click
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — help
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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