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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — a price
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bank — for money
  9. ground — crushed
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bank — for money
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bank — of a river
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wind — moving air
  22. suit — in cards
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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