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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — a short time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spell — magic
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — letters
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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