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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. squash — to crush
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. saw — the tool
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fork — in a road
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. drill — army training
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — the sport

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