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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. cue — a signal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — a path
  6. game — a match
  7. rock — music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rock — a stone
  18. patient — a sick person

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