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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: track · cue · calf · net · straw · vault · wind · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cue — a hint
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. net — after costs
  15. vault — a safe
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — moving air
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. straw — a straw man

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