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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — a box
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — to bear

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