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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rest — a break
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — child
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bore — to tire

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