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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. net — after costs
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — a stone
  22. date — the fruit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ruler — for measuring

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