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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 120 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: cap · calf · chair · bass · content · race · mark · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chair — a leader
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cap — a hat
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. race — the arms race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. bass — the fish
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cap — of ice
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bass — low music

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