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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — army training
  4. mate — a partner
  5. march — the month
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. march — the month
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. march — music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kick — in football
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ruler — for measuring

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