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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: racket · drill · bass · date · present · lie · temple · pit

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. present — the time now
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bass — low music
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — a gift
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. present — there
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. drill — army training

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