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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. court — of a king
  4. drill — a practice
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. track — to keep track
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — a path
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — a gift
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — a song
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. calf — a young animal

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