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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — a video
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cue — a hint
  13. press — newspapers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. roll — a cake
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — for pool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cue — a signal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — to push
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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