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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. content — happy
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kid — to tease
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — the season
  8. mate — a partner
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kid — child
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. content — the amount
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mate — to breed
  24. content — videos and posts

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