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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bass — low music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. ground — the earth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — government
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — happy
  19. track — a song
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. track — a path
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ground — crushed
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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