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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. suit — clothes
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. track — a path
  8. lean — to bend
  9. last — finally
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lean — thin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — music
  16. track — a song
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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