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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chest — a box
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kid — child
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chest — of your body

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