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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: sharp · cabinet · temple · tear · scale · bat · firm · mug

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mug — a cup
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. firm — decided
  10. mug — to rob
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. firm — a company
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — in music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mug — a face
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bat — the animal

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