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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · temple · calf · arm · rest · coach · bat · sharp

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. sharp — exactly

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