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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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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. plane — a tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. track — to keep track
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — the season
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — to rip
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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