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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. mate — a partner
  9. clip — for paper
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rock — music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — a country
  19. object — an aim
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — a friend
  24. clip — to cut

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