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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.

Words on the sheet
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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — to tease
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rash — hasty
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — child
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. present — a gift
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — a series
  23. present — there
  24. rash — on the skin

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