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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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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: land · temple · deal · bass · game · calf · snap · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — low music
  6. land — a country
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. snap — to click
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. land — ground
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — a subject
  22. land — to come down
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — wild animals

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