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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fine — high quality
  6. game — wild animals
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — in football
  20. row — a line
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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