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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bark — to shout
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — to crush
  15. charge — in control
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — the animal
  24. charge — a price

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