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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.

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: staff · bat · hand · field · temple · cell · craft · bowl

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — help
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. field — farmland
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cell — in biology
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. field — a subject
  17. craft — boats
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. field — for sport
  24. staff — employees

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