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

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — to breed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — a partner
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. vault — a safe
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fine — all right
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — high quality
  24. nail — on a finger

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