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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. degree — temperature
  8. clip — for paper
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tube — a container
  13. roll — a cake
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. roll — a list
  18. degree — from a university
  19. clip — to cut
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. degree — an amount
  22. clip — a video
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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