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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. object — an aim
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rash — hasty
  11. shower — rain
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — a division
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. object — to protest
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. dip — to sink
  23. object — a thing
  24. temple — a place of worship

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