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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kid — child
  6. bank — for money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a song
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bank — for money
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — to recline
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bank — of a river

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