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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · kick · mate · chest · straw · ruler

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — a box
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chest — of your body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mate — a partner
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kick — in football

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