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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cap — a hat
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. deal — to handle
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cap — a lid
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ground — a position
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — a sports field

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