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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 · chest · file · lean · land · pit · suit · club

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — ground
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chest — a box
  6. file — a line of people
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. club — for dancing
  12. land — a country
  13. suit — clothes
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — to come down
  16. file — a tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — thin
  21. club — a group
  22. file — a document
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pit — in a race

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