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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 · sharp · fine · mate · straw · pitcher · tear · current

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. current — of water
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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