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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 · mug · kid · rock · capital · bore · race · lie

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rock — music
  4. kid — child
  5. bore — to drill
  6. race — humankind
  7. capital — money
  8. rock — a stone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mug — to rob
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mug — a cup
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mug — a face
  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