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

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a music group
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pound — a weight

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