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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cell — in biology
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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