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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — to drill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. bore — to tire
  21. squash — the sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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