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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: ground · pass · chest · squash · firm · mouse · straw · temple

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. ground — the earth
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. squash — the sport
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pass — a permit
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ground — a position
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mouse — the animal

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