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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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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: lie · calf · wave · temple · bass · hand · pitch · cold

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hand — help
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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