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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. toast — bread
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. content — happy
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. content — the amount
  13. game — a match
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. row — to paddle
  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