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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · temple · calf · content · fan · mate · rule · track

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — a song
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — to keep track
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. track — a path
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mate — to breed
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rule — government

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