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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: fork · pop · temple · arm · bulb · cue · hide · kid

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cue — a signal
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — in a road
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pop — music
  24. cue — for pool

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