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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — employees
  11. club — a group
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. club — for dancing
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. charge — in control
  22. staff — a stick
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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