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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lie — to recline
  3. track — to keep track
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — a path
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of law
  24. trunk — of a tree

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