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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tube — a container
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wind — moving air

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