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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fall — the season
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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