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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: straw · cap · content · court · temple · spell

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — the amount
  11. court — of a king
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — letters

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