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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
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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: foot · temple · pop · date · drill · scale · cap · straw

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — a lid
  3. drill — army training
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a hat
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. date — the fruit
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cap — of ice
  24. scale — for weighing

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