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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a committee
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — a list
  8. spell — letters
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. spell — magic
  12. board — to get on
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — a cake
  15. track — a song
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. row — a line
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. row — to paddle
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — a short time
  24. hide — to keep secret

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