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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. court — of law
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — a box
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. court — for sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chest — of your body
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. court — of a king

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