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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: firm · kid · drill · perch · fall · bat · bound · temple

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. drill — the tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. firm — a company
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. drill — army training
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. firm — steady
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. perch — the fish
  15. kid — child
  16. fall — the season
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. firm — decided
  20. bound — certain
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — for a bird

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