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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — a short time
  6. charge — a price
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spell — magic
  16. press — to push
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. scale — size or range
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — letters
  24. charge — in control

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