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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. ground — crushed
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — certain
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stock — shares
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cue — a hint
  21. ground — a position
  22. rash — a series
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. calf — a young animal

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