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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rock — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. kid — child
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. calf — of the leg

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