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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: game · temple · lean · season · swing · calf · suit · race

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. suit — clothes
  3. swing — in golf
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. race — a contest
  7. suit — in cards
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — in sport
  10. race — the arms race
  11. suit — to fit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — music
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — thin
  17. season — of the year
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — wild animals
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. swing — to play on

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