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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — help
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a city
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. shower — to wash
  20. face — to point toward
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — a young animal

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