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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — after costs
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bore — to tire
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. suit — clothes
  18. kid — child
  19. net — in sport
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — for catching
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wax — for sculpting

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