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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. club — for dancing
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. club — a group
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chip — for betting
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — to eat
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fork — a garden tool

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