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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. object — an aim
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. object — to protest
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lean — thin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bound — certain
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. object — a thing
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lean — to bend
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. row — a line
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — for digging

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