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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. rash — a series
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — a container
  24. kick — in football

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