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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: saw · season · jam · staff · cold · bat · temple · lean

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cold — not warm
  9. season — of the year
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cold — an illness
  12. season — in sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — thin
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — a stick

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