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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — a practice
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — to tease
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. drill — the tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — child
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — the sport
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — army training

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