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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. track — a path
  6. tear — from crying
  7. last — final
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. last — finally
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. club — for dancing
  19. kick — in football
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — a song
  22. row — to paddle
  23. last — to go on
  24. bay — a horse colour

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