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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: leaves · cap · kid · last · mine · pit · temple · bore

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cap — a hat
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kid — child
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — to go on
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bore — gave birth

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