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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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Word bank
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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 · fork · temple · drill · mate · cell

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mate — a friend
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fork — in a road
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. drill — army training
  15. cell — a phone
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mate — a partner

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