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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: kid · rush · temple · mine · cap · kick · row · rock

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. 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. row — to paddle
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — a line
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rock — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kid — to tease
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rush — hurry
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. kick — in football
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. 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