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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: toast · kid · temple · tear · perch · game · last · bowl

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — bread
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. last — final
  6. perch — the fish
  7. last — finally
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — child
  10. tear — from crying
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bowl — to roll

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