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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stand — to bear
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — for betting
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. temple — side of the head

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