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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: bat · bound · perch · date · fall · temple · mark · drill

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. drill — a practice
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — army training
  11. bound — certain
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fall — the season
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — for a bird

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