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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. root — of a plant
  6. net — in sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. march — the month
  9. content — happy
  10. cue — for pool
  11. march — the month
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — the amount
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cue — a signal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — music
  21. track — a song
  22. rock — music
  23. net — for catching
  24. track — a path

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