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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: pit · cabinet · bat · fine · coach · temple · trunk · wind

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pit — a hole
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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