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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 120 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: temple · foot · rule · chair · cell · game · rash · bat

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. game — a match
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rule — government
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cell — in biology
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rule — a law
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. temple — a place of worship

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