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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. present — the time now
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — help
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bound — obliged
  15. plane — a tool
  16. present — a gift
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bound — tied together
  23. present — there
  24. hand — in cards

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