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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bat — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. root — of a plant
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mug — a face
  13. root — of a word
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — the cause
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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