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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 · pit · toast · chair · kid · cap · rash · drill

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. drill — army training
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. drill — the tool
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kid — child

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