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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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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 · calf · cold · fall · lean · mark · mate · object

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. object — an aim
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lean — thin
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. object — to protest
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lean — to bend
  22. object — a thing
  23. fall — the season
  24. calf — of the leg

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