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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — final
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. roll — a list
  8. last — to go on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — finally
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. roll — a cake
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. root — of a word
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. roll — on a roll

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