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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. court — of law
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. suit — in cards
  10. date — the fruit
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. suit — to fit
  20. file — a document
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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