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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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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: lash · bat · cell · pit · temple · bound · chip · mouse

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chip — to eat

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