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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. roll — a list
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a ring
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kid — to tease
  13. object — a thing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — in football
  16. kid — child
  17. object — to protest
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hand — help
  20. object — an aim
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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