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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: mate · wind · cue · pitcher · nail · ground · bat · temple

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — a signal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wind — moving air

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