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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
Word bank
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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rule — government
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bound — certain
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — a break
  10. rule — a law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — clever
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wind — moving air

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