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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chip — for betting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. track — a song
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pound — a weight
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mate — a friend
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — a path
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chip — to eat
  24. calf — of the leg

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