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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: bat · jam · lie · saw · object · snap · temple · band

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a ring
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bat — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to click
  8. object — to protest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — to recline
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. object — an aim
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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