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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spring — of water
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — child
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — the season
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. arm — part of the body

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