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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: mine · bay · safe · chair · cold · ground · temple · bat

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ground — a position
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mine — belonging to me

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