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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spell — letters
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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