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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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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: bat · wake · temple · rush · hide · object · coach · straw

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — an aim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wake — a trail
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. straw — dry grass

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