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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · temple · date · scale · calf · straw · hide · chest

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — size or range
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chest — a box
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — happy
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — a place of worship

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