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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 120 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: race · mate · temple · bark · lean · kid · bat · cabinet

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. race — a contest
  3. lean — thin
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. race — the arms race
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kid — child
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mate — to breed

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