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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — rain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. clip — a video
  20. shower — to wash
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. capital — a big letter

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