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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mug — a face
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — hasty
  10. drill — army training
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rash — a series
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. calf — of the leg

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