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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: fall · mouse · content · fork · bay · straw · temple · land

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — to come down
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. land — ground
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. content — happy
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — a country

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