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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — an illness
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — certain
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bat — the animal

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