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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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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — help
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — what's left
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rest — a break
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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