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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. fine — all right
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. board — a committee
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — a path
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. track — a song
  16. board — to get on
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — high quality
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — child
  24. branch — of a tree

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