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

Word bank: pound · racket · calf · rule · capital · roll · nail · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. roll — a cake
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rule — government
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — money
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. capital — a city
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — a law
  24. pound — for dogs

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