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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rock — a stone
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cold — an illness
  9. face — to confront
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rock — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — part of the head
  24. temple — side of the head

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