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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — letters
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. march — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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