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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: temple · cue · scale · calf · dip · kid · patient · bat

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. scale — in music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. scale — size or range
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kid — child
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bat — the animal
  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