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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 120 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: kid · chest · squash · cell · scale · temple · coach · drill

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kid — child
  3. chest — of your body
  4. drill — the tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cell — in biology
  10. drill — army training
  11. scale — in music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. kid — to tease
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — a practice
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chest — a box
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — a phone

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