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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · racket · ruler · temple · cell · march

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — in biology

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