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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spell — magic
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. last — final
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — to go on
  12. toast — bread
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. last — finally
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spell — letters
  24. temple — side of the head

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