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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: kick · press · game · kid · cell · foot · temple · calf

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — to push
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — child
  8. game — wild animals
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. press — a publisher
  11. foot — a measure
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kid — to tease
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. press — newspapers

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