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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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468
Word bank
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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. kid — child
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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