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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: shower · cue · track · calf · straw · temple · pass · nail

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — a song
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. track — a path
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cue — for pool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. shower — rain
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pass — a permit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. temple — side of the head

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