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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. net — for catching
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. last — to go on
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hand — in cards
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — help
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. last — final

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