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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — ground
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cue — for pool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. shower — rain
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a hint
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — in biology
  23. temple — side of the head
  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