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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: pop · calf · cold · game · track · temple · rush · mine

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  3. track — to keep track
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cold — an illness
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cold — not warm
  10. game — wild animals
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a match
  13. track — a song
  14. rush — hurry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pop — to visit
  21. track — a path
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — soda
  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