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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. firm — steady
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. track — a song
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. firm — decided
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. track — to keep track
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — the arms race
  16. squash — to crush
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. race — humankind
  19. degree — from a university
  20. season — in sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. firm — a company
  23. squash — the sport
  24. race — a contest

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