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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 120 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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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: firm · temple · bat · hide · fork · kid · pitcher · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. firm — steady
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kid — child
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. firm — a company
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fork — in a road

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