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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: temple · jam · bat · fall · date · current · ground · cell

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cell — in biology
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. current — electric
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — the earth
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fall — the season
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bat — in an idiom

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