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

Word bank: straw · roll · kick · lean · pitch · cell · temple · craft

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitch — completely
  6. roll — a cake
  7. kick — in football
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. craft — boats
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cell — in biology

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