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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. kid — to tease
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. tube — the underground
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tube — a container
  17. vault — a safe
  18. shower — rain
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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