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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: cap · temple · kid · leaves · ball · pop · kick · rule

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — in football
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pop — music
  8. rule — government
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — child
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — soda
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rule — a law
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kick — with a leg

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