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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: firm · lie · bat · temple · fine · file · tear · straw

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. file — a document
  5. firm — decided
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lie — to recline
  8. fine — all right
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — a company
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. firm — steady
  17. file — a tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fine — high quality
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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