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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. suit — in cards
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. suit — to fit
  8. shower — rain
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. staff — employees
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. suit — clothes
  24. shower — to wash

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