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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rash — hasty
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. roll — a list
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rash — a series

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