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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — a container
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bat — the animal
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a dance
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. tube — the underground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a great time

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