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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. snap — to click
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — for pool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. file — a document
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitch — completely
  18. file — a line of people

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