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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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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: mate · wound · firm · arm · temple · bat · face · coach

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mate — a friend
  10. face — part of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — decided
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. firm — a company
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. face — to point toward

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