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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · cold · straw · mouse · band · key · fan · face

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. key — for a lock
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cold — not warm
  9. band — a ring
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. key — in music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. key — the most important part
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. face — to confront
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. band — a music group
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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