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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. court — of law
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. roll — a list
  5. row — a line
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a tool
  16. toast — bread
  17. court — of a king
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. file — a document
  20. court — for sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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