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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rock — a stone
  17. staff — employees
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. staff — a stick
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. face — to confront

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