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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 · season · rule · pit · bore · row · ball · kid

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. row — a line
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. kid — child
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kid — to tease
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rule — government
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rule — a law

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