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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. march — the month
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. key — in music
  24. lash — to lash out

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