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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — thin
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — there
  10. track — a song
  11. lean — to bend
  12. track — a path
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — in music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. present — the time now
  24. lean — to rest against

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