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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — child
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — a box
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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