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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — a match
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. band — a ring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. toast — bread
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. kick — in football
  21. band — a music group
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. kick — with a 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