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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chip — to eat
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. swing — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ball — a dance
  15. swing — in golf
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — of water
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. current — electric
  22. wake — a trail
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. current — happening now

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