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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mate — a partner
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. current — electric
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. cue — for pool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mate — to breed
  24. temple — a place of worship

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