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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. club — for golf
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — a series
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — a group
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. capital — money
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — size or range
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bark — to shout
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. capital — a city

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