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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. scale — size or range
  4. charge — a price
  5. ball — a dance
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. root — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. charge — electricity
  15. snap — to click
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — a break
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a great time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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