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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. march — the month
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitch — completely
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. track — a song
  21. fork — in a road
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rock — 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