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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rule — a law
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — a gift
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. present — there
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rule — government
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kid — child

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