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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — a song
  5. firm — steady
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. firm — a company
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. firm — decided
  22. bark — to shout
  23. net — in sport
  24. chest — a box

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