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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: cue · row · swing · pitcher · lie · fall · kid · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. row — a line
  3. kid — child
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cue — for pool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — a signal
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — the season
  23. swing — music
  24. fall — to drop

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