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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 · toast · mate · cabinet · kid · wind · rule · field

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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 — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mate — a partner
  6. field — for sport
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. field — a subject
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. toast — bread
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. field — farmland
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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