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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — rain
  4. scale — size or range
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — a stick
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — a subject
  10. shower — to wash
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. scale — in music
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a song
  24. saw — the tool

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