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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. last — to go on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. last — finally
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. last — final
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bore — to tire

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