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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: calf · kid · wave · cap · temple · fall · chair · current

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kid — child
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. current — of water
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — happening now
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. current — electric
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cap — of ice
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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