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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. firm — a company
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mine — for digging
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. calf — a young animal

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