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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. chip — for betting
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — a series
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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