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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fall — the season
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. season — of the year
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — to visit
  20. season — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — to add flavour

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