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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. club — a group
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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