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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · clip · leaves · calf · temple · last · jam · pit

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pit — a hole
  5. clip — a video
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — finally
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. last — final
  20. pit — in a race
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. calf — a young animal

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