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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mug — a face
  3. season — of the year
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — child
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. staff — a stick
  15. last — final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — finally
  18. net — for catching
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — to go on
  22. net — after costs
  23. mug — a cup
  24. calf — of the leg

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