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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · dip · ground · ball · bat · key · shower · temple

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bat — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ball — a great time
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ball — a dance
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. key — in music
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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