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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: kid · file · pitcher · craft · temple · lie · cabinet · rest

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — a break
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rest — what's left

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