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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 116 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bound — certain
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — a line
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. kid — to tease
  19. plane — a tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. kid — child

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