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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. row — a line
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pop — music
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — a trail
  8. field — a subject
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. suit — clothes
  12. row — to paddle
  13. drill — the tool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — soda
  17. suit — to fit
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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