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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cell — a phone
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. net — for catching
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. firm — steady
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. firm — a company
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. firm — decided

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