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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. drill — army training
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — a line
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chest — a box
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chest — of your body
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — to add flavour

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