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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: calf · shower · press · deal · date · bat · temple · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — to handle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. press — newspapers
  21. shower — rain
  22. press — a publisher
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. deal — a big deal

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