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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — the most important part
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. band — a music group
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — to tease
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. band — a ring
  20. charge — in control
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. kid — child
  24. key — for a lock

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