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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: bore · temple · spell · lie · tear · cell · pitch · band

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — a phone
  9. spell — magic
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lie — to recline
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — letters
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. band — a rubber band

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