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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. can — a tin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — to be able to
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — a straw man

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