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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.

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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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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: rule · temple · ball · mouse · key · rest · straw · cold

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rest — a break
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rule — government
  11. key — in music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. key — for a lock
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mouse — the animal

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