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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — to come down
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. file — a document
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a tool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — ground
  19. mark — a grade
  20. band — a music group
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. land — a country
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fan — to cool the air

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