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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — low music
  6. rock — music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. track — a song
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a document
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a path
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. file — a tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. last — to go on
  24. prune — to trim

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