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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chest — a box
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a match
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — music

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