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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mug · cabinet · field · fork · squash · rock · bat

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rock — a stone
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — to rob
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rock — music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — farmland
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bat — in an idiom

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