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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · date · ball · sharp · chest · pit · temple · cell

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. current — electric
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. current — of water
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chest — a box
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. current — happening now
  23. pit — a hole
  24. date — the fruit

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