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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · game · deal · wake · calf · land · temple · key

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. key — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — in biology
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — a country
  17. deal — to handle
  18. land — ground
  19. game — a match
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cell — a phone
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. game — a kind of play

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