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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — soda
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chest — a box
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — of your body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. temple — side of the head

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