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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: temple · tear · pitch · mark · file · cell · drill · lean

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — army training
  3. tear — to rip
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. file — a document
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lean — thin
  12. drill — the tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mark — a trace
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — a practice

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