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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: rash · wound · staff · bat · foot · stick · straw · temple

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — a series
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — a measure
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — hasty
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. straw — a straw man

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