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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — the sport
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kid — child
  10. face — to confront
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rush — hurry

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