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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — in sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — child
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — for digging

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