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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — a song
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a path
  12. content — the amount
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rush — hurry
  17. kid — to tease
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — child
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — a trainer

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