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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kid — to tease
  9. firm — a company
  10. spell — letters
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — a series
  14. spell — magic
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. firm — steady
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rash — hasty
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. march — music

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