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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mate — a friend
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mug — to rob
  9. row — a line
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — to sink
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mug — a face
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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