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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — the fish
  8. track — to keep track
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. track — a song
  11. deal — to handle
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. track — a path
  16. rock — music
  17. kick — in football
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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