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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: present · fall · ground · cabinet · season · bat · mine · temple

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — of the year
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — crushed
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. season — to add flavour

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