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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. kid — child
  9. chip — to eat
  10. land — to come down
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. land — ground
  14. pound — a weight
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — a country
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. season — in sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — of the year
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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