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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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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 · band · leaves · pitch · hand · bay · chair · cell

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a music group
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hand — help

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