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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: charge · drill · mine · mouse · temple · kid · ground · deal

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kid — child
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — to handle
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — army training
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. drill — a practice
  22. charge — in control
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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