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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mug — a face
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. saw — the tool

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