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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rest — a break
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — to recline
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. march — the month
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kid — child

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