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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. spring — of water
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kid — child
  16. kick — in football
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. temple — a place of worship

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