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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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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: game · temple · deal · bat · rest · kid · rush · bark

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a match
  10. kid — child
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kid — to tease
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. game — a kind of play

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