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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cue — a signal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — to play on
  9. charge — electricity
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cue — a hint
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — in football
  14. charge — in control
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cue — for pool
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. charge — a price
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. branch — of a tree

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