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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: toast · kid · current · temple · trunk · stick · march · bat

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — the month
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bat — the animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. current — electric
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. march — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — child
  20. march — the month
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. temple — side of the head

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