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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · kid · march · cell · temple · staff

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cell — a phone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — in biology
  16. staff — employees
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. kid — child

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