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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. track — a song
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. track — a path
  22. branch — a division
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — a line

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