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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — clever
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. row — a line
  12. last — to go on
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. club — a group
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. rush — hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. track — a song

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