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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: row · kid · date · ground · pound · temple · calf · file

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. file — a line of people
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. file — a document
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — the fruit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. file — a tool
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. ground — a position
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — a weight
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ground — crushed
  24. date — on the calendar

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