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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. game — a match
  6. toast — bread
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — a trail
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chest — of your body
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — to handle
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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