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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — boats
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. foot — a measure
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. craft — a handicraft

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