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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fall — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. capital — money
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. capital — a city
  17. fall — to drop
  18. content — the amount
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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