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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 · fork · lash · temple · stick · pitch · mate · rush

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rush — to hurry

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