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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cue — a signal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pop — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cue — for pool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pop — soda
  22. cue — a hint
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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