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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: stick · bat · present · cell · bass · temple · fine · chair

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. present — a gift
  6. bass — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. present — the time now
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. present — there
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. chair — to sit on

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