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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ball — a dance
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — a container
  14. kid — child
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bore — to drill
  20. key — for a lock
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. tube — the underground

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