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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — to sink
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — clever
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. drill — the tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. temple — a place of worship

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