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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. track — a path
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — a song
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. squash — the sport
  10. key — in music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. clip — a video
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. key — for a lock
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bass — low music

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