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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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: charge · dip · staff · temple · march · kid · hide · kick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. march — music
  4. kick — in football
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kid — to tease
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. staff — employees
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — a stick
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. charge — in control
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. kick — a thrill

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