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

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. 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. bat — in an idiom
  2. ground — crushed
  3. file — a tool
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — a position
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. club — for dancing
  22. march — the month
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. 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