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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — a path
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. hand — help
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. band — a ring
  14. hand — in cards
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — to go on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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