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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: cabinet · straw · temple · ground · present · season · bat · fork

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. season — in sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ground — crushed
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. present — a gift
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ground — the earth
  20. season — of the year
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — a position

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