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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — to recline
  10. track — a song
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. track — a path
  16. row — a line
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — a match
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. game — wild animals

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