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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. swing — to play on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. band — a music group
  8. current — happening now
  9. band — a ring
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — electric
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. current — of water
  20. swing — in golf
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rash — hasty

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