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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  2. track — to keep track
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rock — a stone
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. track — a path
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. content — happy
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. field — a subject
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. face — to confront
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. face — part of the head
  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