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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 · band · clip · lie · temple · root · track · pitch

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. root — of a word
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. root — the cause
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — for paper
  10. root — of a plant
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. track — a path
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. clip — a video

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