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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: firm · file · date · field · cell · bay · temple · lie

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a tool
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. field — a subject
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — farmland
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. field — for sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. firm — decided
  24. file — a document

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