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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. staff — a stick
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — a permit
  8. staff — employees
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cold — not warm
  21. court — for sport
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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