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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. march — music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mug — a face
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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