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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: drill · chest · coach · temple · content · rock · straw · jam

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. drill — a practice
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. drill — army training
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. content — the amount
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. drill — the tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — happy
  20. rock — a stone
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chest — a box
  24. temple — a place of worship

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