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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chest — of your body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. firm — steady
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — rain
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. firm — decided
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chest — a box
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. firm — a company
  24. chest — of your body

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