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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. shower — rain
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. track — a path
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — in control
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. track — to keep track
  21. roll — a cake
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mouse — for a computer

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