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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. scale — in music
  13. content — happy
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spell — magic
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — certain
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — the amount

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