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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: safe · temple · foot · pop · deal · bat · track · shower

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a path
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pop — soda
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. foot — a measure
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pop — to visit
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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