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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bank — for money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bat — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chair — a leader
  24. spring — a coil

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