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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — of water
  4. pass — a permit
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. board — a committee
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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