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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: pitch · rule · squash · date · temple · file · staff · swing

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — completely
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. file — a line of people
  8. date — the fruit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. swing — to play on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a document
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — government
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rule — a law
  21. staff — employees
  22. swing — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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