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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — all right
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — a series

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