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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: staff · present · temple · net · straw · mate · field · pop

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. present — there
  6. pop — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. pop — to visit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. staff — a stick
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pop — soda
  14. field — farmland
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — a friend
  19. staff — employees
  20. present — the time now
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — a partner
  23. present — a gift
  24. net — after costs

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