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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: fork · temple · land · bat · bay · leaves · chip · pitch

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chip — for betting
  7. land — ground
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. land — to come down

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