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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — the season
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — for digging
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. track — to keep track
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. track — a path
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. toast — bread
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — in music

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