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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 · arm · rash · bay · kid · mine · net · cell

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. net — after costs
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rash — hasty
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rash — a series
  21. net — in sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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