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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — temperature
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bass — the fish
  15. game — a match
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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