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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 · mark · bank · saw · hand · kid · kick · chair

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. hand — in cards
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kid — child
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mark — a trace
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mark — a grade
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — help
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kick — in football
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bank — for money

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