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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: temple · pop · calf · rule · nail · perch · season · row

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — the fish
  5. row — to paddle
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rule — a law
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — to visit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. row — a line
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — soda
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pop — music

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