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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ball — a great time
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. last — finally
  12. bulb — for light
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — for money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bank — for money

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