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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chest — a box
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kid — child
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — to tease
  24. nail — on a finger

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