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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. land — to come down
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. land — a country
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. land — ground

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