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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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. mug — a face
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mug — to rob
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mug — a cup
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kid — child
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. squash — to crush
  21. race — humankind
  22. kid — to tease
  23. squash — the sport
  24. temple — side of the head

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