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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chair — a leader
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. cell — in biology
  17. key — in music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — low music
  21. track — a song
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. calf — of the leg

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