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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — to bear
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chest — of your body
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — a box
  19. dip — to sink
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rest — a break

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