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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — final
  7. fall — the season
  8. drill — a practice
  9. track — to keep track
  10. last — finally
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. track — a path
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — to go on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — for digging
  23. swing — music
  24. track — a song

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