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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — in sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. bulb — for light
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. temple — a place of worship

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