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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: temple · perch · clip · kid · rule · drill · staff · ruler

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — government
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rule — a law
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — a video
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — a practice
  24. temple — a place of worship

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