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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. club — a group
  3. march — the month
  4. club — for golf
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. craft — boats
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. craft — a skill
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — music
  24. craft — a handicraft

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