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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.

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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: file · tube · bat · present · straw · swing · temple · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — music
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — there
  8. tube — the underground
  9. file — a document
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. file — a tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — a straw man

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