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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — the season
  6. net — after costs
  7. kid — to tease
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. spring — of water
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a music group

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