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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. band — a music group
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rule — government
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. file — a line of people
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rule — a law
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. band — a ring
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. roll — a cake

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