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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. object — a thing
  5. snap — to click
  6. object — to protest
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stem — to come from
  14. present — the time now
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. object — an aim
  18. present — a gift
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kid — child
  24. present — there

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