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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: content · pop · shower · calf · pit · temple · spell · roll

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spell — letters
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. content — happy
  11. shower — rain
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. content — the amount
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spell — magic
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — to wash

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