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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chest — a box
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spell — magic
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — a division
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — letters
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spell — a short time
  24. temple — side of the head

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