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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a line of people
  4. last — finally
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a document
  11. bore — to tire
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. squash — the sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — final
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bore — to drill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — to go on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — gave birth

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