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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: field · cap · charge · temple · bass · cell · calf · rest

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a hat
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — a break
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. field — farmland
  13. cell — in biology
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. field — a subject
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. charge — in control
  18. cap — of ice
  19. charge — a price
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low 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