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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. season — of the year
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. firm — steady
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. firm — decided
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kid — child
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — a company
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. kid — to tease
  24. temple — side of the head

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