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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: pound · pit · bat · temple · dip · lash · bore · field

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bore — to tire
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. field — farmland
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pound — a weight
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. field — a subject
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. dip — to dunk

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