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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. current — electric
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. current — of water
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chip — for betting
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. temple — side of the head

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