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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 · jam · foot · last · nail · shower · temple · march

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. march — the month
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. shower — rain
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — finally
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — music
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. temple — a place of worship

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