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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — to recline
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. kid — child

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