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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 · cell · court · bat · stick · staff · arm · wake

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. court — of law
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — a trail
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. court — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. court — of a king
  24. staff — employees

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