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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. land — to come down
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — for sport
  12. land — ground
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. field — farmland
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — moving air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — a country

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