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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 120 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: face · pitcher · shower · calf · content · row · game · temple

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. content — happy
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. shower — to wash
  12. face — to confront
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to point toward
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. face — part of the head
  24. game — a match

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