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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 · rule · leaves · hand · kid · snap · racket · bound

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — certain
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — to tease
  8. snap — to click
  9. rule — a law
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bound — obliged
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hand — help

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