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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: lie · coach · bat · lean · temple · race · squash · season

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. race — humankind
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — a contest
  8. squash — the sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. season — in sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — of the year
  23. bat — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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