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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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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: ruler · club · track · wind · net · bore · cell · temple

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. track — a path
  7. net — after costs
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bore — to tire
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. club — for golf
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. club — a group
  16. net — for catching
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. track — a song
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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