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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: temple · arm · tear · straw · court · mouse · net · fine

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — to rip
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fine — all right
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. net — after costs
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. arm — part of the body

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