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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. charge — in control
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. charge — a price
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kid — child
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. charge — electricity
  20. can — a tin
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — in football
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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