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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · fine · cell · spell · temple · hide · suit · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fine — all right
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — a phone
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spell — a short time
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cell — in biology

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