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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. swing — in golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. perch — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kick — in football
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — goods
  20. date — the fruit
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stock — shares
  24. calf — a young animal

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