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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. kick — in football
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — a series
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — to handle
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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