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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. kid — child
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chip — for betting
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — the fish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — low music
  24. rush — to hurry

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