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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bound — tied together
  5. net — after costs
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. club — for golf
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lean — to bend
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bound — obliged
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bound — certain
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lean — thin
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. club — a group

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