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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. land — to come down
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — ground
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fine — all right
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wax — to grow
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ruler — for measuring

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