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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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Word bank
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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 · rule · bore · ball · roll · kid · sharp · clip

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bore — to drill
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — government
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. roll — a list
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rule — a law
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kid — child
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. temple — a place of worship

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