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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fine — all right
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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