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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · bat · coach · ball · temple · land · saw · toast

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — ground
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — to come down
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ball — a dance
  17. toast — bread
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — a country
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. temple — side of the head

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