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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · pitcher · straw · patient · date · perch · deal · game

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — wild animals
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — the fish
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a match
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. date — the fruit
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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