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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. object — to protest
  7. rush — hurry
  8. object — a thing
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. band — a ring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pound — a weight
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a music group
  24. object — an aim

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