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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a face
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ball — a dance
  13. root — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. root — of a word
  18. mug — to rob
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to tire
  21. press — newspapers
  22. root — the cause
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — a publisher

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