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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wake — a trail
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — a path
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. calf — of the leg

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