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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: mine · straw · temple · chest · arm · leaves · march · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — a box
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chest — of your 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