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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. land — to come down
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. pop — music
  9. land — a country
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — to visit
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. club — for dancing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pop — soda
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — music

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