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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pound — a weight
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fine — all right
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fine — high quality
  19. kid — to tease
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cap — a lid
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. straw — a straw man

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