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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. drill — army training
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pit — a hole
  24. temple — side of the head

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