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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. content — the amount
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. plane — a tool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mate — to breed
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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