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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — a measure
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — a match
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. suit — clothes
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. roll — a list
  13. current — happening now
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. roll — a cake
  17. current — electric
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. current — of water
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. temple — a place of worship

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