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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. firm — decided
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. firm — a company
  20. dip — to sink
  21. firm — steady
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fork — in a road

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