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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: present · hand · club · temple · fall · plane · pit · cell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. club — for dancing
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pit — in a race
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — help
  12. present — there
  13. pit — a hole
  14. club — a group
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hand — in cards
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fall — the season
  21. club — for golf
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — part of the body

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