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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: kid · cue · ground · cap · rash · trunk · temple · fall

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ground — a position
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — crushed
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. temple — side of the head

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