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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: plane · bore · kid · date · capital · racket · mouse · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — money
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bore — to drill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bore — to tire
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kid — to tease
  19. date — the fruit
  20. capital — a city
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — child

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