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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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. bass — the instrument
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — low music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. foot — a measure

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