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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: pop · pass · kid · straw · lash · temple · mug · hide

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pop — to visit
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mug — a cup
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — soda
  24. kid — to tease

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