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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. kid — to tease
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a dance
  19. band — a music group
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — child
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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