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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: calf · clip · track · rule · wound · chest · jam · temple

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. track — to keep track
  3. clip — a video
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — government
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. chest — of your body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. track — a song
  20. clip — to cut
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — a box

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