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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rest — a break
  6. club — for dancing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — a list
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. club — for golf
  21. roll — a cake
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. roll — on a roll

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